1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of backing a photograph, a backing material for backing the photograph, and an apparatus for bonding the backing material to the photograph. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of backing a photograph, a backing material for backing the photograph, and an apparatus for bonding the backing material to the photograph, through which the present invention enables a user to fit a photograph into a frame for its display in a condition in which the photograph enables its mirror-finished surface to be smooth, i.e., free from any deformation such as geometrical irregularities, warping, feature or waving and like deformations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although a surface of a photograph is originally flat, there is a fear that the photograph is impaired its appearance as a whole when the photograph uses as its base a plastics substrate instead of a paper substrate. More specifically, due to a difference in appearance in finished surface of an emulsion layer of the photograph between the plastics-substrate photograph and the paper-substrate photograph, the former (i.e., plastics-substrate photograph) is impaired its appearance as a whole even when the surface of the plastics-substrate photograph includes minor geometrical irregularities. This is because the surface of the plastics-substrate photograph is mirror-finished, which makes it possible to accumulate much attention on such geometrical irregularities. Consequently, it is very important for the plastics-substrate photograph to keep its mirror-finished surface in good condition.
In the photograph or work intended for display use, ornamentation use or the like, there is a fear that the work deteriorates its value under the influence of heat radiated from a spot light and the like. This is because the heat increases a surface temperature of the work, and is then transmitted to a backing material of the work to wave or distort the same so that the work loses its smoothness in its display surface.
In order to avoid such trouble, it is so devised that the backing material made of plastics such as vinyl chloride, acrylic resin and the like has its thickness increased up to approximately 2 to 4 mm. Alternatively, the plastics material (i.e., backing material) has its opposite surfaces fixed to aluminum sheets.
However, the number of photographs or works used in an ordinary photograph exhibition ranges from 30 to 50 pieces. Consequently, in case that all the works require their backing materials made of vinyl chloride each having a thickness of 2 mm, the total weight of such backing materials reaches approximately 20 to 34 Kg. This makes it very hard for a female transporter to transport on foot these works from a processing laboratory and the like. Further, in preserving, the works tend to be damaged due to their heavyweight. Such heavy weight also poses another problem lying in the structural strength of their preserving place. Further, since these works are large in thickness, they require a large space in preserving.
Although there is material (for example, such as polycarbonate and the like) which has been rendered resistant to heat by itself, such material is only resistant to heat or only hard to melt. In other words, for example, when a sheet made of such material having a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm is heated in a condition in which the sheet has its peripheral portion fixed, the sheet deforms or waves as is in the case of a sheet made of vinyl chloride. Consequently, at the present time, a vinyl chloride sheet which is cheaper in cost is widely used.
On the other hand, as for methods for applying an adhesive to the photograph backing material in order to bond the photograph to the backing material, there are conventional two methods: a first one, wherein a double-faced adhesive tape is used over the entire surface of the backing material; and, a second one, wherein deposits of an adhesive assuming dot-like shapes are disposed over the entire surface of the backing material, or an adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the backing material. In the first method using the double-faced adhesive tape, air bubbles or adhesive pools are often formed. Further, application of pressure by hands or by means of rollers often cause a layer of the adhesive of the tape to wave. Consequently, in the case of a hard photographic sheet, an immense number of geometrical irregularities are formed in the surface of the photograph, and not absorbed by the sheet, as shown in FIG. 17(A). Due to this, the photograph has its appearance deteriorated in contrast with the case of a soft photographic paper which is capable of absorbing any adhesive pools formed thereon. In the second method disposing the adhesive deposits over or applying the adhesive to the entire surface of the backing material, the photograph is put on the backing material, and then rubbed by hand or squeezed using a roller to bond the photograph to the backing material. In such a second method, when the adhesive is large in viscosity, it is hard for such adhesive to move evenly. This tends to produce geometrical irregularities in the surface of the photograph, as shown in FIG. 17(B). Further, the hand""s rubbing operation performed in the surface of the photograph tends to damage the photograph""s surface. Further, in the other operation using the squeezing roller in order to bond the photograph to the backing material, when dust settles on the surface of the squeezing roller, the photograph""s surface tends to be damaged by such dust.
There are two types in the method of disposing the dot-like adhesive deposits. One of these two types in used in bonding a postcard and the like, wherein a soft adhesive is used; a paper substrate and a corresponding photograph thereof are pressed together using the roller in bonding them together. In this first type of the method, there is no fear that an adhesive pool is smashed to produce air bubbles. This makes it possible to bond the photograph over substantially the entire surface thereof, and therefore to provide a sufficient bonding strength. In this case, however, since the adhesive used here is soft and therefore poor in resiliency, the hard photograph is not suitable in bonding since the geometrical irregularities tend to be formed on the surface of the photograph and such formation of the irregularities damages the photograph in appearance, as shown in FIG. 18(A).
In the second type of the method, even an amateur worker may easily bond the photograph ranging from a quarter-cut size to an uncut size. In this case, in order to reduce the bonding strength of thephotograph, the spacing of the adhesive deposits is increased so that the number of the adhesive deposits is within a range of approximately 180 to approximately 200 per square inch. This makes it possible for the worker to peel and repair a poorly bonded photograph. As shown in FIG. 18(B), each of the adhesive deposits has a flat top portion with a small center projection. In this case, the flat top portion of the adhesive deposit is relatively wide in surface area to form a convex portion. Such convex portion appears in the surface of the hard photograph to damage the photograph in appearance.
On the other hand, in case that the backing material is provided with an adhesive surface covered with a peelable sheet of paper., the photograph is bonded to such backing material in a conventional method comprising the following steps (1) to (5):
(1) an end portion of the peelable sheet is slightly peeled off to expose a part of the adhesive surface of the backing material;
(2) the photograph is then put on the backing material, and aligned therewith in peripheral position. After that, the worker pushes an end portion of the photograph by his finger to bond the thus pushed end portion of the photograph to the part of the adhesive surf ace of the backing material having been exposed in the preceding step (1);
(3) the photograph is then rolled up and gathered up at the end portion thereof. After that, the peelable sheet is removed from the backing material;
(4) a round bar is then put on the photograph and rolled thereon to unwind the thus rolled-up photograph in a manner such that the unwound photograph is bonded to the adhesive surface of the backing material;
(5) lastly, a hand roller is used to slightly urge the surface of the photograph, thereby releasing trapped air from an interface between the photograph and its backing material.
The conventional method for bonding the photograph to the backing material is performed as described above. However, as is clear from the above, the conventional method requires cumbersome steps (2), (3) and (5), wherein: in the step (2), it is necessary to expose the part of the adhesive surface of the backing material and also necessary to align the photograph in position with the backing material; in the step (3), it is necessary to roll up the photograph and to remove the peelable sheet from the backing material; and, in the step (5), it is necessary to release the trapped air from the interface between the photograph and the backing material. Due to the presence of such cumbersome operations, an unskilled worker tends to fail in releasing the trapped air. Further, in the conventional method, when dust settles on the surface of the hand roller, the photograph""s surface tends to be damaged by such dust. As is clear from the above, the conventional photograph backing material and the conventional method of backing the photograph with the backing material suffer from many problems.
Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to a method of backing a photograph, and a backing material for backing the photograph, all of which is free from any of the above problems inherent in the prior art. In other words, it is an object of the present invention to a method of backing a photograph, and a backing material for backing the photograph, wherein: the backing material is resistant to variations in heat, temperature and in moisture; further, the backing material is large in bending strength, tearing strength and in resiliency; still further, the backing material is relatively thin in thickness and light in weight, is tough, and is under tension so as to be resistant to curling and warping deformation; a worker may cut the backing material using ordinary scissors,knives and like ordinary cutting tools; and, even an amateur or unskilled worker may easily treat the backing material in a mirror-finishing operation of a photograph.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for bonding the backing material to the photograph both of which are described above, wherein: the apparatus enables any worker to easily and precisely perform a position alignment operation of the photograph with its backing material, and does not require any cumbersome operation such as the operation for releasing the trapped air and like cumbersome operations; and, the apparatus is capable of fine finishing the photograph in bonding the photograph to its corresponding backing material.
The above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
A method of backing a photograph, characterized in that: disposed on a photograph bonding surface of a backing material are an immense number of deposits of an adhesive; and, the deposits assume dot-like shapes or linear shapes, and are provided at appropriate intervals.
Preferably: the deposits assume the dot-like shapes; each of the deposits has a surface area of 0.7 square millimeters; and, the number of the deposits is more than 200 pieces per square inch, preferably within a range of from 1300 to 1500 pieces.
Preferably: the deposits assume the linear shapes; the number of the linear shapes is within a range of from 30 to 50 lines per inch; and each of the lines has a line width which is within a range of from 0.4 to 0.7 millimeter.
Preferably: the backing material is similar to or resembles the photograph in material properties.
Preferably: the photograph bonding surface is dense with geometrical microscopic irregularities; and, the adhesive is applied onto top portions of convex portions of the geometrical microscopic irregularities.
Further, the above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
A method of backing a photograph, characterized in that: a photograph bonding surface of a backing material is dense with geometrical microscopic irregularities which has its concave portions filled with an adhesive; and, the photograph is bonded to the photograph bonding surface of the backing material.
Preferably: the geometrical microscopic irregularities are constructed of microscopic through-holes or microscopic grooves.
Preferably: the geometrical microscopic irregularities are constructed of microscopic through-holes or microscopic grooves.
Still further, the above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
A photograph backing material constructed of a plastics laminate in which plastics materials such as acrylic resin, vinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene and the like are mixed with particles or powders of calcium carbonate, sawdust, carbon, charcoal and the like and molded.
The above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
A photograph backing material constructed of a plastics laminate in which: impregnated with a plastic resin is paper or cloth; or, a plastic resin is filled with fibers such as glass, carbon and the like, the fibers forming a linear construction, a network and the like.
Further, the above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
In a photograph backing material of a laminate type constructed of a substrate sandwiched between an upper and a lower surface member, the improvement wherein:
each of the upper and the lower surface member is formed by cutting an elongated material;
an upper surface of each of the upper and the lower surface member is disposed in the same side as that of a front or a rear surface of the elongated material; and
when the elongated material is cut to produce the upper surface member, a front end portion of the upper surface member is disposed in overlapping relation with a corresponding front end portion of the lower surface member when the elongated material is cutto produce the lower surface member, in which relation the upper and the lower surface member are bonded together.
Still further, the above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
In a photograph backing material of a laminate type constructed of a substrate sandwiched between surface members, the improvement wherein:
geometrical irregularities are provided in a bonding surface of at least one of the substrate and the surface members.
The above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
In a photograph backing material of a laminate type constructed of a substrate sandwiched between surface members, the improvement wherein:
provided in both of the surface members are either geometrical irregularities, microscopic holes, or microscopic grooves.
The above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
In a photograph backing material of a laminate type constructed of a substrate sandwiched between surface members, the improvement wherein:
the substrate is constructed of a honeycomb structure made of either paper, metal, plastics or the like.
Preferably, the surface members are made of material which is permeable to ultraviolet light.
Further, the above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
A photograph backing material comprising:
a substrate which is small in resistance to high temperature;
plastics surface members disposed in opposite sides of the substrate, wherein the plastics surface members are larger in resistance to high temperature than the substrate, also larger in rigidity than the substrate, and laminated to the substrate to form the photograph backing material. Still further, the above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
A photograph backing material characterized in that:
a substrate has its opposite sides bonded to surface members including a front and a rear surface member; and
the front surface member is different in hardness or thickness from the rear surface member.
The above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
A photograph backing material characterized in that:
a substrate has its opposite sides bonded to surface members; and
material excellent in heat conductivity such as aluminum, copper and the like is vapor deposited or bonded to either a front side, rear side or central portion of one of the surface members, to which one a photograph is bonded.
Preferably: the photograph backing material is wrapped around a core to form a roll for transportation; and, in use, the photograph backing material thus rolled is unwound by a length required, and cut to provide a necessary-length piece of the photograph backing material.
Further, preferably: the photograph backing material has its photograph bonding surface covered with a peelable sheet of graph paper.
Still further, preferably: the photograph backing material has one of its opposite sides be excellent in smoothness to enable either a direct printing process or a thermal transfer printing process to be applied to the one of said opposite sides.
The above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
An apparatus for bonding a backing material to a photograph, comprising:
a receiving base portion;
a lid portion connected with the receiving base portion;
a suction sleeve portion disposed in a connection area between the receiving base and the lid portion;
wherein each of the receiving base portion and the lid portion is provided with an absorption plate, the absorption plate being provided with a ventilation space and a plurality of ventilation through-holes together with a pressure reduction means for the ventilation space;
wherein the absorption plates are brought into close contact with each other when the lid portion is closed.
Preferably, the ventilation space is maintained by using a leaf spring which supports the absorption plate.
Further, preferably the ventilation space is maintained by using either a corrugated plate or a honeycomb plate, wherein either the corrugated plate or the honeycomb plate supports the absorption plate.
The above objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing:
An apparatus for bonding a backing material to a photograph, comprising:
a receiving base portion;
a lid portion connected with the receiving base portion;
a suction sleeve portion disposed in a connection area between the receiving base and the lid portion;
a suction mechanism;
wherein each of the receiving base portion and the lid portion is formed by the steps of: covering a honeycomb plate with fibrous materials; and, hermetically covering both the honeycomb plate and the fibrous materials with a sheet, the sheet being provided with an air suction hose mounting mouthpiece through which the sheet communicates with the suction mechanism.
The present invention having the above construction enables any worker to easily and precisely align in position the photograph with its corresponding backing material and to be free from any cumbersome operation such as the trapped air releasing operation the like, which makes it possible for the worker to fine finish the photograph in its backing operation using the apparatus of the present invention.